The Sound Post
by Instant Noodler
Summary: "Don't worry, you'll get it in no time," he chuckled while leaning closer to her and kissed her jaw. "It's not that much different from the cello, Kagome." This is a haunting yet heartwarming tale of love and music transcending time.
1. 1

New story! Yay! I feel like I should be picking up my violin soon... It's been 3 years... Too long... too long...  
This is for all the hopeless romantics and music lovers whose souls are touched by music every day.

* * *

**No. 1**

* * *

If you move it towards the fingerboard, it increases the brilliance and loudness of the instrument. When you move it back and towards the tailpiece, the instrument becomes mellower and there would be a richness and unusual hollowness to the instrument's sound.

_The French artisans called it the "âme". The Italians masters called it the "anima". They all mean the "soul."_

If you move it just a little and by a little, as in less than even 0.25mm, it can make a world of difference in the loudness and sound quality of the entire instrument. Adjusting it is a science, an art, and some say, a magic. It requires the inherently brilliant ears and the delicately sensitive touch of a magnificent luthier. The little piece of wooden dowel is held up by tension, by friction and never by adhesives, by any mucilage. What is this little dowel? It's the sound post.

The sound post is the soul of a violin.

Repairing it is not for the faint of heart.

* * *

His fingers danced on the fingerboard. His hand moved along the neck and the upper bout of the instrument. His bow bounced from edges to edges in between the c-bouts. The horsehair in between the tip and the frog of the pernambuco brazilwood bow peregrinated from the D string to the E, then back to the G after brushing over A. He swayed from side to side to the cadence of the music. On the white paper was a series of complex hand drafted arrangements on staves. He leaned harder on the chinrest and his right hand gripped the bow firmer.

_Clank._

The pernambuco brazilwood bow flung across the room.

_Clank._

The thin golden E string snapped.

_Clank._

In a rage, he dropped the spruce fiddle and with a swift movement of his arm he thwacked the heavy music stand.

The violin ricocheted on the floor of the heatless and lightless room, falling into pieces as the music stand clashed against its lower bout. More strings snapped. Pieces of wood jounced in the room, scattering to every single corner. Pieces by pieces. The violin was destroyed. The Tetsusaiga, his instrument - his beloved instrument was no more. He had destroyed it with his own two hands. He was mad. Insane. Everything meant nothing now. _Regret. Regret. Regret._

It's been five years. Five long years. He had lived every single day in regret. One mistake later, both of them had to pay with their whole lives. Responsibilities, obligations, and liabilities ran his life. Why did he have to be a man with principles? With morals? Why couldn't he just bring himself to walk away? To walk away from it all? Why did he have to make that commitment?

"InuYasha! Open up! Now! I know you're in there! What's wrong?" her voice was urgent. Her fists pounded against the heavy oak door over and over again. She was tearing up; her voice was cracking with each knock.

She knew something was wrong. She knew something had been on his mind. She struck the heavy door with the side of her fist, her knuckles, and her palms. She pounded against it until her fingers were numb, until she couldn't feel her hands anymore, until her hands were bruising into a purple shade, until blood began to smear. He was going to do something foolish in there. She had an ill gut feeling about it. She was so afraid. So afraid. Her chocolate brown eyes were filled with anxiety, hurt, and pools of tears.

"InuYasha! Love! Open up! Speak to me!" her voice trembled and became muted as the tears began to muffle her voice.

"Daddy! Daddy!" the small 4-year-old boy sat by the door and cried while he slapped his hands against the door like his mother did. He didn't know what was going on but the loud clashes coming from the room startled him. The little quarter demon was bawling; his golden eyes were fixed on his mother, "Mommy, what's wrong with Daddy? Mommy! Mommy!"

She clenched her fist and fell to the ground, slamming her back against the adjacent wall in the narrow hallway. She couldn't bring herself to look at her son. She couldn't give him a direct answer. What could she tell him? How could she tell him? She couldn't bring herself to tell her 4-year-old that he was partially the problem. She had read the newspaper this morning. So did her husband.

InuYasha crawled to a corner of the dark room; the curtains were drawn to block out the morning light. His sensitive ears picked up the small sniffles from outside the thick wooden doors. His heart ached. His abrupt outburst was frightening his son and startling his wife. His wife. He leered at the thought of the woman outside of his door. He covered his left hand with his right and felt the restrictive wedding band around his finger. It was evil. So evil. It was that little piece of metal that had taken away all of his freedom: his freedom to love _'her'._ He scoffed. How ironic, he had chosen this path for himself because it was the proper path to take.

He did this to protect his family's reputation. He did this to protect her honor. He did this out of stupidity. He didn't know any better back then but now he was paying the hefty price for his actions.

InuYasha hit his head against the cement wall of his studio and closed his eyes.

_'If I practice 10 hours a day, everyday for 3 years, I'll get really good. I might be just as good as you are. Let's make a pact, InuYasha. We'll make it to Juilliard, together.'_

His eyes shot open. He wasn't safe in his own head. He could hear her voice and see her face. He reached around him and picked up a small piece of his Tetsusaiga. It was the violin's sound post. He clenched it in his hands and a silent tear trickled down his cheek. He had never cried for anyone in his life until now. This was his first time shedding a tear... For anyone.

"Open up, InuYasha! I demand that you come out here this instant! Now!"

InuYasha pondered for a moment; he knew that angry voice too well. It was his father's. He knew better than to enrage his father, the greatest conductor of his time, Inu no Taisho Takahashi. His father was a powerful and influential man. Everything he was today was because of his father. InuYasha sneered.

_'Everything that I am... What am I?'_

Yes, he was the world-renowned child prodigy violinist, InuYasha Takahashi. He was a virtuoso. He recorded his first album of all 24 of Paganini's Caprices at the age of 11, a feat that had never ever been achieved before he came along. He toured with orchestras and symphonies all across Europe at the age of 16. He was exceptionally brilliant, just fabulous. It was rare and unexpected but he was also a pop culture icon. He managed to change musical styles at the age of 18 and began infusing Classical music with contemporary beats. He was a pop culture sensation.

His father was the one who had made him into who he was. Inu no Taisho was an unfeeling man. He expected nothing but the very best from his sons and he didn't care how much pain or pressure they were going through. Sesshomaru, InuYasha's elder brother had abandoned his music pursuit as soon as he became of age and left home. InuYasha became the sole vessel to Inu no Taisho for fulfilling his unattained life-long fantasies. His father live vicariously through him, pushing him to greatness that he felt appropriate.

His father ran his life. What life? InuYasha never had one.

He had fell in love with the girl of his dreams twenty years ago. She had always been the rock that grounded him. Whenever things got rough, he had thought of her and it made all of his worries and stress melt away. Even when his father had ripped them apart and forced him to marry another woman, it comforted him to know that she was well and happy.

"InuYasha!" his father barked as the door flung open. "You ungrateful boy, get the hell out of here! You had us worried! How could you do this to Kikyo?"

"InuYasha, honey? Please, don't do this," his wife ran into the studio to embrace him. He could feel her warmth but he didn't react to her. He was just an empty shell.

"Let me be, Kikyo," InuYasha whispered while avoiding his wife's glance.

"Daddy!" the little boy cried. He kept his eyes away from his son too. He didn't want to look at him. InuYasha knew it was wrong of him to shroud in his own misery and block out his family. He just couldn't help it.

"Let's get you downstairs," Kikyo mustered all of her strength and pulled her husband up. A piece of newspaper clipping fell out of his pocket. It was an article from this morning.

-x-x-x-

_"Brilliant Violinist Kagome Higurashi; Youngest Concertmaster of the Nippon National Philharmonic Dies at 27."_

-x-x-x-

* * *

Let the supernatural romance begin! I've always wanted to write a supernatural romance story. My first try with "Through His Eyes" didn't quite work out. It became a mystery/suspense/romance story instead... Well... here goes with this new one. Let's see how it goes :)

The style of my writing is heavily influence by my favourite author, Lissome Dalliance! Go check her out. She's just PHENOMENAL. I guarantee that you will LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her story, "The Best of Friends."


	2. 2

This chapter was only supposed to be around a thousand words long. Then I just couldn't stop writing... so it ended up being 4 times longer than I intended it to be, haha.

**WARNING:** Contains subdued references to suicide, depression, and non-explicit adult themes.

* * *

**No. 2**

* * *

He had the windows open; the cicadas were still droning at night. He could still hear them. The air was sticky and warm but his palms were ice cold. He didn't know why it was so cold. So cold. Yet, his hoodie was drenched in sweat and he found it hard to breathe in the humid air around him and let it fill his lungs. He opened his mouth; his jaws locked but he couldn't make a single sound. He wanted to scream. He tried once again. Nothing. He whammed the back of his head against the austere concrete wall. Again. Again. And again.

Time had stopped; he didn't know how to move on. He was stuck here. He just wanted to stay like this. He could hear a buzzing sound in his ears. The ringing noise got louder. Louder. Louder. He didn't know how to make it stop; no, it wasn't that he didn't know how to make it stop - he didn't want it to stop. A ringing in his ears was better than the blood-chilling eerie silence.

His body trembled; the pain was visceral yet he didn't know how to internalize it. He needed to balance it out. He needed to let his pain reach equilibrium. He needed to inflict physical pain onto himself to ease his emotional pain.

There was no light in the room, not even the moonlight. He was in his studio once again in the attic of his home. He had pushed the grand piano against the door so no one could open it, so that no one could intrude into his personal space. This was his sanctuary. He needed time alone. Why didn't anyone understand that? He needed some time to think about her.

He clenched a little block wrapped in a silk cloth in his hand. He exerted more pressure to it; the little clear and golden colored block crumbled in his palm under his demon strength. It once belonged to her.

_'This is my favorite piece of rosin! Do not lose it, InuYasha! I repeat, do not lose it. Good luck on your tour. I... I... eh... I... I love you too.'_

He shut his eyes and bit down on his own lips, hard. His fang pierced through his skin. He could taste the metallic undertone of his own blood. He saw her face once again. He could see her dimples, her stunning smile, and her sparling eyes. He forced his eyes open.

Hadn't he learned by now not to close his eyes? He saw nothing but her. He was so scared of seeing her. He feared her. He couldn't bring himself to look at her face - the face he had abandoned. He owed her. He was indebted to her. At the same time, he didn't want to pay his debt because he knew that paying it would sever the only connection between them.

_'Teach me, teach me! I want to know how to play double stop in the Bach concerto! InuYasha, teach me! After that, I want to learn the vibrato!'_

"K..a.. Kagome..." he whispered and slowly let her name roll off of his tongue. The intonation of her name was so foreign to him; it almost startled him. Her name sounded so different in his head.

-x-x-x-

_The 7-year-old half demon boy sat impatiently on the wooden bench of the music school. He kicked his feet against the leg of the bench and swung his arms back and forth on the side like a pendulum. He leaned back awkwardly with his neck twisted on the side against his rectangular hard violin case that was covered with flashy animal stickers. He hummed a melody of Bach's Air, Toccata, and Fugue and tapped his little fingers on his knee. Time had passed so slowly when waiting for his teacher for his violin lesson._

_Suddenly, he heard gentle footsteps and a rolling sound echoing in the high-ceiled hall of the music school. Then grunting and heavy breathing soon came after the rolling sound stopped. It sounded like someone was in pain. His little dog-ears perked up and he shifted his weight to his legs and pushed himself up with the momentum. _

_It was a little girl trying to toll her cello up the staircase. The cello was almost as tall as she was but probably weighed more than she did. He looked at the old long case clock; he still had a quarter of an hour left. He got onto his feet and fixed his shoes and ran towards the little girl._

_"Here, don't hurt yourself, let me help you," he took a few flight down and gripped the other side of the case. "Pull, I'm pushing now."_

_After a few tries, the two young children finally brought the large cello up the stairs._

_"Thank you so much," the younger girl was smiling ear to ear at him and held out her little hand to him. "Mommy couldn't help me today; she's at the hospital with my Daddy. I'm Kagome. Kagome Higurashi."_

_InuYasha scratched his head nervously and blushed while looking away; the girl was very cute. Too cute. He finally mustered the courage to look at her right in the eyes, "InuYasha. InuYasha Takahashi. Nice to meet you too."_

-x-x-x-

_"Would you like another scoop, honey?" Izayoi smiled at the 9-year-old little girl who was looking up at her with sparkles in her big brown eyes. Izayoi had taken that as an inevitable "yes" and asked her once more, "Same flavor? Strawberry? Or would you like the cookie dough one? That's InuYasha's favorite."_

_"Strawberry please, oba-chan!" Kagome giggled and leaned against the black granite countertop while Izayoi scooped the ice cream out of the bucket. Kagome's little fingers twitched and her mouth watered while staring at the creamy delight in front of her._

_"Here you go, honey," Izayoi sprinkled the ice cream and gave the bottle of chocolate syrup to Kagome while placing the bowl in front of her. "Don't eat too much, alright? Save room for the birthday cake."_

_"What cake, Ma?" InuYasha ran into the open concept kitchen and dropped his violin by the leg of the barstool. He was finally done his practice for the day._

_"Happy birthday, InuYasha!" Kagome ran towards her best friend and tackled him with a big hug. She had caught him by surprise and he fell back, pulling her down with him onto the hard ceramic floor. He laughed full heartedly. Kagome was his one and only friend; he was too busy practicing 13 hours a day to have a real friend. Today was his birthday and this was his birthday party: just him, Kagome, and his Ma._

_Izayoi looked at the two children with so much love in her eyes; she couldn't help it but to giggle at the sight of them wrestling on the floor. She wished that this moment would never past and that Kagome would always be by InuYasha's side._

-x-x-x-

_The 15-year-old half demon boy was dressed in a dark suit. Black on black. He wasn't ready to come out yet. He sat on the edge of his bed and held a little heart shaped locket in his hand. He ran his nails along the edges of the silver and opened the heart. It was empty. It was the only thing his mother had left him before she died._

_'One day when you find the right girl, InuYasha, give this to her. All right? Love her, cherish her, and dote on her. What am I saying? Give this to Kagome. Never let her go, InuYasha.' His mother's voice rang in his head. Those were her last words. Izayoi didn't have to tell InuYasha to take care of himself, to live happily, or to live a fulfilling life. She knew what was the best for her son: having Kagome in his life._

_Knock... Knock. Knock._

_"I don't want to talk to you! Just leave me alone!" he screamed at the door with his raspy voice. It was probably his father. He loathed that man. His mother waited to see Inu no Taisho one last time before she passed but he was too occupied from composing his "masterpiece" to fulfill his dying wife's last wish. His father was a heartless mad man._

_"It's me." A soft whisper was on the other side of the door._

_"Ka... Kagome?"_

_She opened the door slowly and let herself in. Kagome turned around to push the door closed once again. She was in a black knee length, long sleeved dress. Black on black. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying too much earlier. He watched her as she took a seat beside him on his bed and leaned into him._

_"I miss her," she whispered softly while bringing her arms around his shoulders to hug him. He raised his hand to grasp hers tightly. She buried her face into his shoulder and wept softly. "I really, really, really miss her."_

_"I miss her too."_

_There were only two women in his life. One of them was gone. He couldn't afford let the other one go. He loosened his fist with the heart locket in his hand and turned his head slightly to look at her longingly. "Kagome," he began and opened the clasp of the locket. "This was Ma's. I want to give it to you."_

_She raised her eyes to his; her pupils constricted at his words. InuYasha continued, "She told me to give it to the girl I loved. I love you, Kagome. I know I can't give you much right now. Wait for me. I need you to stay with me. I know I'll be gone on a year for my European tour but I won't stop thinking of you."_

_It was like she had waited her whole life to hear him say those words; her heart pounded against her rib cage. She brought her free hand to caress his cheek. His eyes were red but there were no tearstains on his cheeks. "Silly InuYasha. You know I'll never leave you. We're connected by the red thread." Kagome held up her pinky and smiled at him._

_He loosened her embrace and hovered around her neck to secure the locket's chain around her neck. He leaned into her and they both paused for a moment. Then, he seized her lips for the first time._

_-x-x-x-_

_"No, you are doing it all wrong. If you lock your wrist like this, how are you supposed to shift your hands when playing in the 4th position?" InuYasha rolled his eyes at the baffled girl in front of him and got impatient. He kicked his feet to shift his weight and got out of his comfortable cushioned chair and grabbed her elbow from her back, locking her into his embrace. _

_"You do it like this. Elbow tilted in, wrist straight, got it? You need to be in a perfect line with your shoulder. Then it's easier when you slide your hand... up the upper-bout like this. Right here. E... F... G flat. Alright, Kagome?"_

_She was blushing furiously; his hard body was pressing firmly behind her back. She felt her knees growing weak and failing to support her own weight. His left hand was around her elbow; her hands grew clammy while holding onto the neck of her violin. His other hand was on her shoulder, at the nape of her bare neck where her halter dress's drawstring knot was. Kagome felt a shiver down her spine, followed by a soft whimper that she couldn't suppress when he leaned in closer to her and breathed softly against her ears._

_"Don't worry, you'll get it in no time," he chuckled while leaning closer to her and kissed her jaw. "It's not that much different from the cello, Kagome."_

-x-x-x-

_"How did I do, InuYasha?" the stunning young woman in a gorgeous crystal encrusted floor length red dress appeared in the hallway after eagerly rushing out of the backstage door. She had just completed her first solo performance accompanied by the Nippon National Philharmonic. The train of the dress dragged along the marble floor as she dashed, her high heels clicked in frenzy as she galloped towards him._

_He was standing down the hall in a sleek black tuxedo waiting for her with his arms wide open, just as he had promised her. He sprung her around when their bodies made contact._

_"You were just phenomenal. Perfect grace note, perfect bow technique at the staccato, perfect double stops during the solo. You were just perfect, Kagome," InuYasha hugged her tighter to him. Kagome's first debut was flawless; InuYasha couldn't remember the last time he was this happy. In fact, he couldn't recall ever being this happy. He wasn't even this happy when he had won at Paganini. Kagome had excelled at violin, exceeding even his expectations._

_"Come on, I'm sure everyone's dying to meet the soloist," he kissed her on the forehead and grabbed onto her waist, pulling her along with him to the reception atrium of the cathedral music hall. She stopped in her tracks and tugged onto his blazer sleeves, "No. I want to celebrate it alone with you."_

_His mouth was agape; this was the most glorious moment of her debut and she wanted to celebrate it alone, with him?_

_"Me. You. Just us two. Give me a moment; let me change first," she winked at him and disappeared into the change room. He leaned against the wallpapered wall of the hallway and smiled as he thought of her._

_"InuYasha! Help! Come in here! There's an emergency!" she shouted from the room._

_An emergency? He rushed over to push the door open. Then, he rolled his eyes at Kagome._

_"What! Stop rolling your eyes and get over here; my zipper's stuck," Kagome pouted at InuYasha as she winnowed in her dress. "Help? InuYasha."_

_"I would be more than glad to help you undress," he cracked a joke and approached her in her private dressing room. He smirked at her intentionally to tease her. Kagome gulped as she stared into his golden eyes. He wasn't intentionally trying to seduce her but it was working._

_ InuYasha grabbed onto a small portion of the dress's fabric and tugged on the zipper at the small of her back. It was stuck. He hated fixing zippers. 'Damn the low back dress; why did the cut have to be so low?' He felt himself enthralled by Kagome's... bare skin._

_The tension in the room between them was thick._

_"InuYasha?" Kagome turned around to face him while tugging his bow tie loose. "Remember when I said that I'll have to give you your 23rd birthday present later?"_

_"Yes," his eyebrows perked up mischievously._

_Kagome gave him a lascivious smile and twisted the diamond ring around her ring finger, "You've given me a birthday present before I gave you yours... But you can have it now."_

_"I thought so," he smirked back at her. When he could just rip right through the fabric, maybe he didn't hate repairing zippers after all._

-x-x-x-

That was their last happy moment together and perhaps it would always be the happiest memory in his life. He smiled. But suddenly, that smile disappeared.

_'I can't marry you anymore, InuYasha. You have to marry her. You have to marry Kikyo. She needs you.'_

He gripped his left hand with his right and felt the wedding band around his finger. He had to take it off. He didn't know why but he felt repressed by that tiny little band. It symbolized his marriage with Kikyo. He tried to yank it off but it was stuck.

In a mania he bit his finger and let the blood dribble down. The blood acted as a lubricant and he slipped the ring off, chucking it aside against the wall.

There was a bright ringing sound, and then the wedding band was lost in the darkness of the room.

He stood up and began throwing his arms around like a lunatic. He walked over to the glass shelf where all of his trophies, medals, and honorary plaques of his achievements were housed.

"Why did you leave me, Kagome? Why?"

With one severe wallop, the glass shelves tumbled down, shattering into a million little pieces. Hundreds of mementos clashed onto the walnut hardwood floor, indenting deep grooves by his feet.

"InuYasha! InuYasha! You little twerp! Open the hell up! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Inu no Taisho's voice was full of rage and frustration as he pounded against the bolted door. His son was on the verge of insanity. The perfect instrumentalist he had created was self-destructing. All of those years of blood, sweat, and tears were all wasted. It was all because of that little girl; damn that Kagome Higurashi. She had single handedly ruined his son.

"Love! Please don't do anything foolish!" Kikyo cried and cried outside the door. He had told her that he wanted some quiet time so she let him. But now, the glass shattering and objects falling was scaring her. Her husband had become insane.

InuYasha just laughed. Laughed. Laughed. And laughed. He had a radicle idea; something he had never thought of when Kagome was still alive. Living was so hard. Why did he have to continue to live? He wasn't even happy anymore and he wasn't going anywhere with his life. One year was the same from the one before. Everyday was just a routine. He had put on a stupid facade to appease his father, his wife, his son, his agent, his record company, his fans, and his colleagues. He wasn't happy. He hadn't been since she stepped out of his life.

_'We will always be together, right, InuYasha?'_

He nodded. Her voice was so mellifluous.

Everything had suddenly become so quiet.

He collapsed onto the heap of broken glass.

His body was lifeless but there was a tranquil smile across his lips.

* * *

He felt so weightless. Absolutely weightless. It was almost like he was defying gravity. Never had he felt so light. There wasn't any pressure on his joints as he walked. He studied the familiar couch, the familiar dining table, and the familiar floor lamp in the corner of the room. This was his childhood home. He took a few steps forth towards the kitchen. He could smell a whiff of delightful confections baking the oven. Was he still... alive?

"Ah, InuYasha," the young woman smiled at him while putting on a pair of oven mittens. "You're just in time for the new batch of sugar cookies, honey."

"M... Ma?" he asked. Time had not stolen the woman's grace and beauty. It was almost like time had never passed - Izayoi had still looked the same as she did: just over three decades young.

"Daddy!" A little girl ran towards him and hugged his leg. She had his golden eyes and silver hair.

InuYasha looked at his mother with wide eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, "Wh...o? Who is she?"

"My grand-daughter, your daughter," Izayoi walked towards her son and smiled at him while she placed the cookie pan on the black granite countertop. She crouched down at the little girl and touched her nose when she took off her mitts, "We'll let it cool then we'll decorate them together, okay, Miharu-chan? Now go along and take Buyo out into the garden, I'll call you back when they're ready."

"Haiii, obaa-san!" the little girl ran down the hall and disappeared looking for the cat.

"She looks just like Kagome, doesn't she?" Izayoi turned to her son once more and sat down at the breakfast table.

"Ka.. Kagome?" he whispered in a daze.

"Ah, I've forgotten. She was never born. You never knew about her either," Izayoi took a sip of the green tea from the cup on the table.

"Am I...?"

"Yes, you are dead, InuYasha," Izayoi stared at InuYasha.

"She's... beautiful... Just like her mother... How did I have a daughter? Where's Kagome? Tell me, Ma," he asked his mother with desperation. If he was dead and ended up here; Kagome must have too. He had a daughter? With Kagome? He had never known.

"She was never given a proper burial. Her soul had never found peace," Izayoi cringed and turned her gaze to the cup in her hands. "Do you really want to know why? I can show you."

InuYasha nodded and sat beside his mother at the breakfast table. That was where he had always sat. There were four chairs but only two were ever used.

"Hold onto my hands, InuYasha."

-v-v-v-v-v-v-

"Miss Higurashi, you need to stay away from my son," Inu no Taisho leaned closer to the young woman. "I will not tolerate you in my family. Do you know what he had told me? He had told me that he wanted to give up his solo violin career in order to support yours! Yours! What have you done to him, woman?"

Kagome quivered against the elder Takahashi's wrath and covered her diamond engagement ring. It was too late, Inu no Taisho saw the ring around her left hand and snatched her wrist. "Tell me, Miss Higurashi. Are you engaged to him? Without 'my' permission?"

Kagome was shivering. She had always feared the great conductor.

InuYasha gasped. His mouth was open with shock and disgust. Was this how his father treated his Kagome when he wasn't around? Inu no Taisho had always given him the impression that he had loved Kagome like his own daughter.

"Heartbreaking, isn't it?" Izayoi grabbed her son's hand firmer in hers. "Your father had always had a dark side. Don't even try, InuYasha. She can't hear you. Just stay put and watch." Izayoi knew her son too well; she knew what InuYasha was going to do beforehand.

"I want you to leave him. He's going to marry Kikyo Sato," Inu no Taisho continued. "InuYasha is known as the king of the strings and Kikyo, the queen of the keys. A king needs his queen. You? You are nothing but a debuted novice. You have nothing to give to InuYasha's career. He will become greater than Niccolo Paganini himself. Do you understand? I will destroy you if you don't leave him. You are not good for him!"

"InuYasha, I'm taking you to another time. Don't let go of my hand," Izayoi whispered to her son.

-v-v-v-v-v-v-

Kagome sat on the examination table in nothing but an examination gown. Her little fists were clenching onto the paper that lined the table. Her left hand was bare. No ring.

InuYasha bit his lips and turned to Izayoi. "Ma, what is Kagome doing?" He already knew the answer but he wanted his mother to confirm his speculation.

Izayoi was silent.

"Miss Higurashi, we're ready for you in the operation room. Are you sure you want this abortion?" the nurse walked over to Kagome with a clipboard in her hand.

Kagome's eyes were red from crying; she nodded weakly and whispered, "Yes. I'm sure."

InuYasha noticed that her neck was bare. No more locket. He choked. This was after their fight.

"You didn't mean to say any of those things to hurt her, did you?" Izayoi spoke softly to her son and reached to stroke his head. "Both of you were mad, weren't you?"

InuYasha just stood there, in silence. She was just an arm's length away from him but this was all an illusion. It was only a fragment of the past. He couldn't do anything about it. Nothing. It had already happened. He could only watch as the love of his life walked into the operation room to undergo the abortion with their child in her womb.

"I also want to show you her final days," Izayoi susurrated to her son once more.

-v-v-v-v-v-v-

"Is... is that... her?" InuYasha queried as he walked towards the woman lying on the bed. She was emaciated and barely breathing. She was asleep but a look of terror glazed her face.

"In...u...sha..." she was mumbling something in her sleep. He stepped closer to her, hovering over the bed. It was her. It was his Kagome. She was so shriveled up that he couldn't even recognize her anymore.

"Kagome! Kagome! Ka... Kagome!" his voice cracked from his bawling. She didn't respond at all to his voice.

She was alone, in a dark room. He couldn't recognize where it was. He had never been here before.

"She had to take 100 mg of antidepressant a day to function. She also had a reaction to the medication: tremors and anorexia. Her last concert was at Mumuraki Hall, wh-" Izayoi was cut off by her son.

"Where she debuted."

He had read somewhere that Kagome was recovering from an illness and had to take a leave from the subsequent concert season; he had never thought that Kagome would be like... this.

"The abortion had completely deteriorated her health. There was a complication with the anesthesia; it hindered her nervous system. She suffered from strokes from time to time."

InuYasha was silent. He hated himself. He hated his father. He hated Kikyo. He hated fate.

"Do you see it, InuYasha?"

"See what, Ma?"

Izayoi took his hand and held it up, "The red thread of fate." There was a fine red silk thread around his pinky; it was taut. He tried to pull on it; but the other side of the thread was ceaseless. He couldn't find the other end. Izayoi grinned, "It's connected to Kagome. It still is. The tread can be tangled, stretched, knotted, but never broken."

InuYasha was silent while he held his hand closer to himself.

"If you were given a second chance, InuYasha, can you make it all right?"

"Wh-what?" he susurrated with his mouth agape.

"I love you, InuYasha," Izayoi leaned closer to her son and took him into her arms. "Always. You and Kagome deserve a second chance."

* * *

"InuYasha... InuYasha... Inu... Yasha," she hovered over him and stroked his silvery hair. She played with his dog-ears and he purred in his sleep. "Wakie-wakie, InuYasha."

He twitched his nose. His ears perked up. That scent... so delicious... Kagome? He reached for the hand that was stroking his hair and his eyes shot open, "Kagome!"

"Yes?" she kissed him on the cheeks and rolled closer to him on the narrow bed. She placed her chin on his chest and smiled at him, "You've been asleep for so long. For a second there I thought you were never going to wake up." She laughed once more.

InuYasha blinked. He just stared at her. That... wasn't a dream. Was this a dream? He brought his hand up and pitched himself. "Ouch." It hurt. He could feel everything. He was back... back... He surveyed the room; it was Kagome's. The music stand in the corner of the room by the window caught his eye. That old stand was there. Kagome had it until she turned 21 and he had finally replaced it with a new one for her birthday. He was... was back... to 2005?

He shot up and grabbed Kagome tightly into his arms and took a deep breath to take her scent in. How he missed her. She was real. At least right now she seemed so real to him. He was so afraid that he was going to wake up from this dream and everything would disappear. "Am I dreaming?" he asked her while holding her still in his arms.

"Yes, of course you are," she pushed herself apart from him and brought her hand to his cheeks. "You have a concert tonight and you have 40 minutes before your last rehearsal with the orchestra. You are going to be late if you don't get up! Gee, InuYasha! I've called you three times already! You were dead asleep! I had to run over to check on you!"

InuYasha stared at Kagome's phone. Yup. It was definitely 2005. Kagome still had that primitive, a joke of a "touch screen" phone. This all felt so... surreal. He needed time to process all of this. It seemed only hours ago since he was in his studio with his father and Kikyo outside of his door screaming for him to come out. It was only minutes ago since his mother had taken him through time to show him the past... or the future... what ever that was...

"What... is today's date?" he was serious when he asked her the question.

"It's May 2nd, 2005 today. Why? InuYasha?" she leaned closer into him to take a better look at him. She leaned her forehead against his to feel his body temperature. "Hm... Your forehead feels normal. You don't have a fever... You're not burning up. Why are you acting so strangely, InuYasha? You have a concert tonight. Vivaldi. 8."

This was all to good to be true. 2005. It was the year long before the tears, angst, and tragedies. Maybe he had died and gone to heaven. He didn't care - Kagome was here. What ever this was, he'll gladly take anything that was in store for him.

"I love you, Kagome!" InuYasha blurted out loud. There was a sense of urgency in his voice. His eyes glowed an intense golden sheen. Kagome cracked a smile and simpered while staring deeply into his eyes. She was mesmerized by the way he was looking at her at the moment. InuYasha was quite odd today.

Suddenly he leaned closer to her and captured her lips with his. She froze. A tingling sensation travelled down her spine. How he missed the feeling of her delicate lips against his. He leaned even closer to her and grabbed her waist with his two hands and shifted his weight to his knees while trailing his hands down her legs. Without breaking the kiss, he pushed her back against the soft bed.

Kagome gasped; what was InuYasha doing to her? Since when did InuYasha become this bold? She felt his weight on her abdomen and groaned at his gentle touch. "Inu... Yasha..." she whispered while staring into his eyes.

It struck him.

If this was 2005... They were only 20. The first time they... ... was on Kagome's 21st birthday. His sudden outburst must have scared Kagome. He immediately let go of her and looked away, "I'm sorry." He had an apologetic frown on his face.

He shouldn't have messed with the order of things like this. He was afraid of the implications that may arise if he were to change the order of the events in his life. But then again he was back in time, at least it seemed like he was at the moment, to change the past.

It all still felt so surreal to him.

Could it all be a fragment of his imagination?

"InuYasha..." Kagome was crimson. She wasn't used to InuYasha being so... physical with her. But in a guilty way, she... liked it. She played with the chain of the locket around her neck. "I'm not sorry."

He looked at her with his eyebrow perked up. Was he imagining this? She crawled closer to him and smiled, "Alright, Mister. You have just half an hour to get your bum to the concert hall. It's almost 10 already. If you're late, you know how your father will react."

His father... InuYasha cringed. He didn't know how to face his father. Kagome leaned forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek before she hopped off of the bed and shouted with her sweet voice when leaving the room, "Breakfast is ready for you!"

* * *

I don't know. Should it be a dream? Or a reality?


	3. 3

Hm... I woke up at 4 this morning and couldn't go to bed anymore... So I decided to write a chapter...

* * *

**No. 3.**

* * *

He had slept on his right arm awkwardly last night; his shoulder was sore. He strolled into the kitchen and stretched out his muscles while yawning and took in a deep breath. The familiar aurora of Kagome's omelet made his mouth water. Peppers... onions... hmm... mushrooms... and cheese. No one could make an omelet like Kagome could. Kagome just had that magical touch that no one else seemed to have when it came to making good food. All of this was still too good to be true to him. All of his senses were there though; he could smell, taste, feel, hear, and see everything so lucidly. He couldn't have been dreaming. This was a reality. All of this...

_'Thank you, Ma.'_

Kagome was taking the toast out of the toaster; InuYasha surreptitiously snuck up behind her and leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder and hugged her by the waist.

"That was fast," Kagome turned her head and gave a kiss by the corner of his mouth. "Toast? Or omelet?"

"Omelet," he took the other plate from her hand and sat on the barstool beside the island in the kitchen. He cut a piece of the omelet and took a bite. Delicious. How he had missed this taste. His eyes never left Kagome as she took a seat across from him. He extended his arm to hold her hands. 'That's right'... After his European tour, hell erupted at home so he had moved out at seventeen. Even though he had his own place he slept at Kagome's every night. InuYasha had to remind himself of the things that had occurred in the past.

Kagome blushed at InuYasha's sudden gesture. What was wrong with him this morning? First the passionate kiss and now hand holding at breakfast? He was completely out of character. He was acting as if he hadn't seen her for years and that he was going to disappear from her any minute. There was nothing but longing in his eyes when he looked at her. She finally spoke up to break the silence, "Don't tell me you haven't memorized the score yet. Are you relishing every minute of your life left with me before your father releases his wrath on you? And stop looking at me this way, InuYasha. I'm not going anywhere." Kagome tittered at InuYasha's hodgepodge of expressions across his face.

_'Oh you have no idea, Kagome. I haven't seen you for half a decade. To me, that was like a lifetime.'_

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore," Kagome stuffed the last piece of the toast in her mouth and withdrew her hand from InuYasha's. She hopped off of the stool and placed the plate in the sink. She chewed and stared at InuYasha who was still watching her intently while finishing the last of his omelet. "Is there something on my face?" she asked him curiously.

"No," he shook his head and walked over with his empty plate. "Are you ready to go? Let me grab your violin for you, Kagome."

"You mean yours, baka," she tugged on his shirt while he was walking towards her bedroom. InuYasha froze. That was right... Kagome didn't start playing the violin until she was 21... she still played the cello, for now. "I mean mine..." he corrected himself. He really should remember the milestones of their lives.

-x-x-x-

"InuYasha! You are late!" Inu no Taisho rushed to his son when InuYasha and Kagome walked into the rehearsal hall. InuYasha squinted his eyes to study his father. It had only been seven years but his visage was so much firmer. He bit his lips in order to hold back the disgust for his father. In 2 years, the man in front of his eyes would destroy his and Kagome's lives.

Kagome tried to withdraw her hand from InuYasha's grip but he only tightened his grip on Kagome's hand and turned his head to study Kagome's face. There was a look of terror in her eyes. Before his mother had shown him the past... the present... it didn't matter what it was... But right until Izayoi had shown him the encounter that Inu no Taisho had had with Kagome, InuYasha had had no idea how his father had abused his Kagome.

His father stared at their linked hands and had a look of terror and disapproval in his eyes. This was what he had feared: InuYasha was really with Kagome now. He couldn't deny the paparazzi's gossips any longer.

"Otou-san, it's five to 10. I'm still five minutes early. Learn to loosen up, old man," InuYasha rolled his eyes at his father and walked past his father, still holding Kagome's hand.

Inu no Taisho froze. Had his son just talked back at him? "InuYasha! How dare you talk to me like that? Stop right there! I need to speak to you!" Inu no Taisho raised his voice; his words were full of rage and vexation.

_'That's right... I was still submissive to him,'_ InuYasha mentally noted. Ah well, nothing like changing the future by starting from now. InuYasha ignored his father's outrage and kept walking down the hall towards the recital hall.

Kagome shot InuYasha a look of disapproval and shook her head subtly but her eyes were filled with apprehension. He squeezed her hand once more and gave her a reassuring grin. He was here to protect her now and nothing would ever harm her. He tugged on her hand while he entered the rehearsal hall. Kagome stopped before going in. She wouldn't budge. "I'm supposed to be in the gallery. I can't be here since I'm not with the orchestra tonight," Kagome protested as InuYasha tried to take her in with him.

"And let you stay with my father? Not a chance. You're coming with me. You can sit in the nook of stage left and watch me, alright?" InuYasha pulled her in once more. Kagome obliged this time. InuYasha knew it all too well. Kagome had feared Inu no Taisho more than he did.

The rehearsal hall had looked so different in year 2005. It still looked normal back than. By normal, InuYasha was referring to the neutral, cream-colored walls. In 2010, the new director took over and painted the room an irritating orange.

InuYasha settled his violin case in the corner with the rest of the instrument cases and unzipped. He took out his bow and reached for the rosin in the little compartment of his case where he had always kept his extra strings and rosin. It seemed like second nature to him; he had done this a million times before. He didn't even need to think before he acted. But he paused when he held the little piece of clear golden block in his hand. Kagome's voice rang in his head, _'This is my favorite piece of rosin! Do not lose it, InuYasha! I repeat, do not lose it. Good luck on your tour. I... I... eh... I... I love you too.'_

InuYasha smiled and he snuck a glance at Kagome who was seated in the corner seat. She didn't seem to have noticed his staring. Having her by his side was enough. He smiled ear to ear. There was a certain feeling of elation flowing through his veins. The little piece of rosin had taken on a new meaning after they had been separated. It was the only thing of Kagome's that he owned; his father had taken, hidden, or destroyed everything else.

"Ah, InuYasha, I'm so glad you can join us. You are right on time," the conductor, Takemaru Setsuna was just approaching the stand with his baton. He smiled at the strings as he walked towards the riser.

InuYasha widened his eyes at the sight of the elderly man. Takemaru was still alive. He was his mother's ex-husband. Although Izayoi had divorced the conductor decades ago after an affair with Inu no Taisho, Takemaru didn't have any hostility towards Izayoi. Conversely, he took care of InuYasha and looked out for him like a father would. He was more of a father to InuYasha than Inu no Taisho was.

"Setsuna-san..." InuYasha whispered while approaching the conductor's stand with Tetsusaiga under his arm. This would be the last concert Takemaru would ever conduct. He had died in a fatal car accident on May 2nd, 2005 while driving home after the concert reception. Today was May 2nd, 2005.

_'I can... change all of this...'_ InuYasha suddenly had a revelation when he realized the scope of his powers.

"InuYasha?" a soothing voice called his name. InuYasha quickly turned around to face the middle-aged woman. InuYasha immediately bowed and expressed his respect for the concertmaster, Midoriko Ito, "A pleasure, Ito-sensei." InuYasha may have been a rebellious bad boy and pop culture's "King of the Strings," but he had always shown the utmost respect for the concertmaster and conductor.

"I'm so glad to have you here. I see that you've brought Kagome," Midoriko giggled and waved at Kagome. She loved the young couple and she especially adored Kagome. She would eventually take Kagome under her wing and make her the next concertmaster of the Nippon National Philharmonic.

Takemaru tapped the stand with his baton to get the orchestra's attention. His voice was crisp and commanding, "Alright everyone, 'A' natural tune please."

InuYasha firmly placed his pernambuco brazilwood bow on his A string and played the note.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Takemaru stopped the orchestra and turned to his soloist. "InuYasha, we are tuning to 441."

InuYasha wanted to face-palm himself and crawl into a hole with shame. How could he have forgotten? This was such a rudimentary error. The rest of the world tuned to 440 but Japan tuned to 441. He was so accustomed to tuning to 440 that he had forgotten probably to adjust his fine tuner after the last time he had practiced. He bowed apologetically and turned his fine tuner to the left. He suddenly realized that he was playing Tetsusaiga. It had broken his heart when he had smashed his own violin when grieving for Kagome.

"Concerto No. 1 in E major, Op. 8, RV 269, 'La primavera.' Allegro from the top, folks," Takemaru announced to the orchestra and smiled.

He glided his bow across the strings and moved his hand up and down the neck of the instrument, melting into one with the melody.

-x-x-x-

He played the last note in sync with the orchestra and gave a long sigh.

"Very nice. Very nice. Great work, folks. You've been dismissed," the conduct announced to his orchestra. The woodwinds and brass exited from the back doors to the instrument room while the strings remained in the room to tidy their scores and collect their cases.

"Excellent trills in the movement 1, InuYasha. But just remember, it's allegro 'non molto, 'alright?" Takemaru walked over to InuYasha and instructed him about he specifics of his pacing after the orchestra was dismissed. Of course, he really didn't really need to say much to InuYasha. The boy knew what he was doing. "I will see you this afternoon. Take care for now."

"Thank you, Setsuna-san," InuYasha looked at the conductor longingly. He knew exactly what was to become of this man in less than ten hours. InuYasha had to say something. He just had to. "Setsuna-san!" InuYasha called out his name to get his attention.

"Yes, InuYasha?" Takemaru stopped and turned to the younger man. "Anything else?"

"Don't drive your car tonight. Take the shinkansen instead," InuYasha insisted Takemaru. "It's more convenient, sensei-san. There's a thunderstorm tonight; it's going to be a disaster out there on the way home after the concert."

"Thank you, InuYasha," Takemaru nodded at him with a grin on his face. "That is very considerate of you." He nodded once more left the room through the back door.

"Ready to go, InuYasha?" Kagome tugged on her beloved's sleeve and swung her arms around his neck. "Perfect grace notes, InuYasha. Perfect grace notes. You did get the score for all four movements down. I knew you would. You are phenomenal. I wish I could be just like you."

"What an overstatement, Kagome," he pulled her closer to him. InuYasha grinned. Vivaldi's Four Seasons was like a stroll in the park for him. Vivaldi had nothing on Paganini.

"We need to get your dry cleaning before tonight's concert," Kagome tiptoed to hug him and began again while leaning closer to him. "Can't make our featured soloist wear just anything. I've sent the Mario Caraceni out. This is your first comeback Classical performance since you've gone rogue with the electric genre. The fan girls are going to go crazy. You need to look drop dead gorgeous for the cameras."

InuYasha had forgotten the gravity of the concert tonight. It was a milestone in his career. It did seem like a big deal at the time but in retrospect his younger fans fancied his pop electric violin scores better. "Hm... but I just have one favorite fan girl. What's her name? Ah, Miss Kagome Higurashi." He pulled her in by the waist and captured her lips with his. Kagome's eyes shot wide open gasped at the series of InuYasha's public display of affection.

Everyone in the room was staring at them. They knew InuYasha and Kagome had a tight bond and everyone had suspected they were an item. But... but... neither of them ever spoke about it and they denied the paparazzi's speculations. Now with the kiss, all speculations were confirmed.

Dammit. Damn. Damn. Damn. It struck him once again. He and Kagome hadn't come out about their relationship, yet. They had kept their relationship a secret to protect Kagome from the tabloid's hounding. He immediately let go of Kagome and the young couple looked away from each other.

"InuYasha! You have a meeting with the publicist in an hour! Where do you think you're going?" Inu no Taisho barged into the recital hall. Kagome gave a sigh of relief; she and InuYasha separated from each other just in time. Inu no Taisho gave Kagome a glare then turned his attention back to InuYasha. "What were you thinking? Bringing Kagome in here? Have you lost your mind? She's not with the orchestra! She can't hear you perform until the premiere! What will other people think of you two? Scandals! Scandals!"

Kagome gulped and whimpered. The poor girl was petrified.

"Otou-san, can we all keep calm? You, especially." InuYasha didn't even bother to debate his father any further. The publicist... if he remembered clearly, the publicist meeting was about arranging his next concert with Kikyo... InuYasha cringed at the thought of his wife. Technically, he wouldn't marry her for another two years. At this point, they were still acquaintances.

Inu no Taisho was appalled. His eyes glowed a reddish color and he tightened his fists. Kagome took a few steps back. InuYasha's father wasn't a force to be trifled with. "InuYasha, go with Takahashi-sensei, please?" Kagome pleaded for InuYasha to comply with his father in a small whisper.

* * *

WHAT TYPE OF ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE ARE YOU WRITING IN, HELENA! Inu no Taisho is evil and Takemaru is the good guy? Meh...


End file.
